A PIONEERING charity is celebrating after gaining cash that will keep it running for another year.

TalkDon't Walk has secured funding to carry on its service to help reduce the number of young people running away from home.

The scheme is the only one of its kind in the country and works with a number of stakeholders including Cheshire Constabulary, Teenage Pregnancy Fund, Warrington Primary Care Trust and Warrington Borough Council.

The charity was launched in 2004 by The Relationships Centre as part of the Government's Invest to Save agenda.

Warrington South MP, Helen Southworth, said: "TalkDon't Walk has been providing vulnerable children and young people with an alternative to the dangerous strategy of running away.

"Helping these young people, and their families, to deal with their problems saves them so much misery and makes our community a much better place.

"I am delighted that the imp- ortance of this work has been recognised, and funding secured to allow them to continue providing this much needed service."

And Clr Keith Bland, deputy leader for the council, said: "Every child matters in Warrington and children and young people need to know that they do have options in life and there are people and groups within the community who can offer a friendly shoulder, advice and support.

"Running away often results in children being exposed to crime, substance and sexual abuse and we need to address this at the root cause to ensure that every child gets the best start in life.

"Talk Don't Walk is a project that provides an invaluable service in our area and we are delighted to support it."

The project won the money after showing how much it had helped to reduce the number of young people running away from home.

Since it began the number of runaways in Warrington have fallen by 76 per cent from 1,235 in 2003 to 297 in 2006.